Chapter 299: Eerie Memory Gaps
The square dining table, with its traditional characteristics, was adorned with local specialties and snacks from Hunan province.
Xu Wenwu's dinner with his two children appeared simple and heartwarming, except for the slightly stiff movements of Shang-Chi and Xialing.
"You two intentionally came here, but now you don't have anything to say to me?"
Xu Wenwu put down his bowl after taking a sip of soup and smiled as he looked at his son.
"Actually, I do feel a bit regretful. If I could personally meet your Chairman Oaks, I would thank him as well. These years, you seem to have lived a meaningful life."
His smile was charming, and his gaze seemed to contain endless stories, but Shang-Chi felt an icy chill rising from his heart.
He composed himself and glanced at his sister, whose eyes were wandering, before taking a deep breath.
This matter had to be clarified.
"Dad, these past few years, you always knew where I was and what I was doing.
Chairman Oaks made an agreement with me when he recruited me into the Benevolence Society that when I turn 18, he would let me come back to China to have a proper conversation with you.
He said that the misunderstandings between father and son should be resolved, otherwise I would regret it for the rest of my life.."
Shang-Chi saw an approving smile appear on Xu Wenwu's face. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "Did you really want to train me to be a killer back then?
I don't want to be an assassin. I don't want to inherit your mistakes and go further down that path. But at that time, I couldn't resist you, so I had no choice..."
"Although I was very sad and angry, I eventually accepted your life abroad. I even planned to let you live outside for a few more years and experience some hardships from society."
Xu Wenwu smiled at his son as if he had just carefully studied the differences between him now and when he ran away years ago.
"But it seems that your life in the Benevolence Society has allowed you to go through this process more quickly. Although you haven't started college yet, your words and actions are already mature."
"The work in the Benevolence Society exposes you to various levels of society. It's truly a rare opportunity for personal growth."
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Shang-Chi's mouth. From his wanderings from China to San Francisco, he experienced a period of unpleasant days at the bottom of society. Meeting the recruitment agency at that time was truly his stroke of luck.
However, his smile quickly disappeared.
"But I will never come back to become an assassin!"
Upon hearing this resolute voice, Xu Wenwu's gaze became slightly elusive. Before Shang-Chi could notice, it regained its focus.
"My training for you was not as simple as being an assassin. Does an assassin need to learn so much history and philosophy?
Even martial arts, I taught you everything, not just a few assassination techniques.
In fact, I originally planned for you to start managing the affairs of the organization after you avenged your mother's killer."
Xu Wenwu placed both arms on the table, and the faint blue light on his arms flashed. He looked at Shang-Chi seriously.
"Although you achieved it, you didn't do it well enough, not thoroughly enough.
Blood debts must be repaid; it was also a milestone to resolve the past. Shang-Chi, you are my successor, the heir to the Ten Rings.
If you prove to me that you deserve them, then they will be yours sooner or later. At that time, the Ten Rings will be whatever organization you decide."
Shang-Chi furrowed his brow. This situation was different from what he had imagined.
However, inheriting the Ten Rings and leading the Ten Rings were things he had never thought about. What he cared about now was that matter.
"Dad, these years, I have encountered many people and events, and my doubts have only deepened!"
He stared at Xu Wenwu's face, listing all the inconsistencies one by one.
And as he spoke, Xu Wenwu's expression changed from calm to bewildered, then contemplative, and finally, a hint of incredulity and seriousness appeared.
"Dad, the Ten Rings has given you over a thousand years of life, but why, with over a thousand years of wisdom, did you make such a low-level mistake?"
Shang-Chi's questioning almost made Xu Wenwu lose control of his emotions.
In his mind, things he had never considered for ten years churned—
His wife's death, he had never once blamed himself.
No, it seemed like from the beginning, he never expected that his enemies would find him.
"At that time... I didn't leave behind any defensive measures..."
Xu Wenwu's eyes glazed over, and he murmured to himself, "Why? How could this happen? Was I too confident in the deterrence of the Ten Rings?
No, I should have arranged for personnel and defenses. Even my most trusted subordinates didn't know my whereabouts at the time. How could those people have known..."
"Didn't you investigate later?"
Seeing their father in such a disoriented state, Shang-Chi and Xialing felt relieved but also puzzled.
"I mean, even if this incident was a coincidence, they actually let us go back then..."
"Yeah, that's indeed worth investigating. But I completely focused on revenge and was oblivious to it...
Now looking back, it seems like those guys entered the headquarters without any obstacles, as if they were completely disregarding the peripheral defenses...
When I came back from grocery shopping, the killers came and went, and there was no abnormality at the checkpoint. That was abnormal in itself, and I completely overlooked it!"
Xu Wenwu's expression became serious. He realized something was amiss back then.
He couldn't remember what happened before that incident!
"Hmm..."
The light from the Ten Rings flickered slightly, and Xu Wenwu's expression instantly became bewildered.
"Ah... Yingli, I know you won't blame me, but I truly neglected this... I have wronged you. When I bring you back, I will personally apologize to you!"
"What?!"
Shang-Chi looked at his father incredulously, and Xialing also opened her mouth wide.
"Bring Mom back? Dad, what are you talking about?"
Xu Wenwu's gaze instantly returned to normal. He composed himself and smiled warmly.
"I hadn't had a chance to tell you yet. Originally, I wanted to figure everything out before bringing you back...
But now it seems like the time has come. You can definitely help me find your mother faster."
He sighed and his expression was somewhat gloomy.
"There were indeed reasons on my part that led to that tragedy, but we still have a chance. After we bring your mother back, I will never make the same mistakes again."
"Dad, Mom has passed away!"
Shang-Chi couldn't comprehend it at all. Father admitted his negligence, and it didn't seem like he was orchestrating this. That bewildered and incredulous expression couldn't be faked.
But what was this about bringing Mom back?!
"Follow me."
Xu Wenwu stood up.
"I'll explain everything to you... We must seize this opportunity!"
In the study, Xu Wenwu flipped through ancient books on the table and explained his discoveries to Shang-Chi and Xialing.
"In my life, I have done many things and had many names. Warlord, Grandmaster Khan, the most dangerous person on Earth... For a long time, I believed that conquering and killing were the meaning of my life until I met your mother."
He glanced at his children, who wore expressions of confusion, and chuckled while shaking his head.
"I know that the questions you asked earlier, you suspected that I intentionally revealed a flaw that led our enemies to find us...
Now, Even I am starting to doubt because I don't remember the details of that time, and it's incredibly perplexing to me."
"You mean, your mental state at the time wasn't right?"
Shang-Chi keenly grasped the key question and subconsciously looked at the Ten Rings on his father's arm.
"Ah... Let's start from the beginning."
Xu Wenwu fell silent for a moment, motioning for his children to sit down. He stared at the Ten Rings on his arm with a profound gaze.
"The reason I went to the Ta Lo Realm was certainly not because I knew I could find your mother there, but because my conquest faced obstacles.
When I was about to conquer the area near the Himalayas, someone called the 'Sorcerer Supreme' stopped me. She possessed unimaginable power, and I needed to find even greater power to defeat her."
"The Sorcerer Supreme?"
Shang-Chi was slightly taken aback. Although the existence of sorcerers was no longer a secret after the battle in New York, the leader of the sorcerers, the Sorcerer Supreme, remained shrouded in mystery.
As an ordinary member of the Benevolence Society, Shang-Chi was unaware of the level of strength the Sorcerer Supreme possessed to be able to stop his father.
"So, I began searching through ancient books and eventually found the Ta Lo Realm, a legendary place that could further enhance my power. When I went there to challenge them, I encountered your mother, Yingli."
Xu Wenwu shrugged without embarrassment.
"At that time, I can say that I repeatedly fought and failed. I could never defeat Yingli, who possessed the magical powers from the Ta Lo Realm. She could actually subdue the Ten Rings...
It was an ability I had never seen before, and it only strengthened my determination to obtain power from the Ta Lo Realm."
"But... amidst my repeated battles and failures, your mother and I developed feelings for each other, which eventually grew into love. Even the pursuit of power took a backseat...
I even forgot my original reasons for repeatedly visiting the Ta Lo Realm and only desired to meet her."
The happiness in Xu Wenwu's eyes was incredibly sincere, as if he was completely immersed in the memories of that time.
"She made me discover a new side of myself and helped me rediscover this world... until we were both willing to abandon everything for each other.
She abandoned her people and her magical powers from the Ta Lo Realm, and I abandoned the Ten Rings and a thousand years of legacy.
And then we got married and had you. After all these years, I finally found something worth growing old for."
"But we didn't need to abandon all that..."
His gaze instantly became sharp and intense, and his voice contained a hidden anger.
"Before we got married, Yingli wanted us to settle in the Ta Lo Realm, but the elders in the village refused.
They... said I wasn't worthy. They believed that my love for your mother was only to covet the secret magical arts of the Ta Lo."
"That was indeed true before, but at that time, I was very clear that I had lost all interest in that thing."
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA) - +133 advance chapters
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------